Anonymous Source
It was reported that this situation occurred on April 12, 1961, and people read about it in the Spokesman-Review. The newspaper wrote that the vessel had been recovered, but Ilyushin was unconscious and mentally unbalanced now. The data came from a dependable and anonymous source.
Claims and Counterclaims
Ilyushin was in the hospital during that time, so there could be credibility to that story. However, everyone said it was because of a traffic accident and not an orbit into space gone wrong. Were the Soviets telling the truth here?